Rock and Run stage a 'Revival'

Ten minutes before Kid Rock is due to call, an old joke comes to mind: How do you know Kid Rock isn't really hip-hop? His shows start on time.

Five minutes before the appointed time, the phone rings. On the other end, Rock sounds sleepy and groggy, but he's ready to talk. Calling early for a phone interview could also mean that you're not really rock n' roll, either, except these days Kid Rock is as rock as he has ever been.

His latest album, "Rock n' Roll Jesus," is more in the vein of his self-titled 2004 release, heavier on the Southern rock than rap. Resemblances to his first and best-selling album, "Devil Without a Cause," are minor and rare: not much rap-rock and even less macho-pimp braggadocio (and not as much low-brow wit, either). Just lots of heavy riffs and party anthems.

Indeed, the 2008 version of Robert Ritchie, 37, has stepped away from his alter-egos. These days, he's more interested in showing off music that's been influenced by performers he grew up with: Bob Seger, AC/DC, Skynyrd, Warren Zevon, Hank Williams Jr. and Run-DMC.

So when it came time to tour behind "Jesus," Rock decided it was time to turn off the pyro and just play some taproot music. He brings his "Rock and Roll Revival Tour" to Savannah on Saturday, and instead of the flashpots and caged strippers from earlier tours, fans should expect a rock n' roll showcase.

"We kick it off for about 2 1/2 hours," Rock said about the show. "We all rotate on and off the stage and tie it all together with a big finale."

The "Revival" will include some old-school hip-hop, courtesy of one of Kid Rock's guests, Rev Run of the legendary Run-DMC. But it'll be rap with a Rock twist, thanks to his own Twisted Brown Trucker Band. "A lot of people love hip-hop, but they don't like the way it's presented on stage," Rock said. "Or they just don't want to go to a concert to deal with the riff-raff that usually shows up.

"What we're doing kind of reminds me of 'Hail Hail Rock and Roll,' where Keith Richards puts together that great band for Chuck Berry. With my band and how we tied it all together, I don't think Run-DMC's songs have ever sounded better."

It was all part of the plan, says Rock. "I wanted a couple of cats to go out with me where none of them has their entourage so we can keep the prices down for the fans. You're not gonna see another show like this for $40 or $50."

Cracks like that have brought out the haters and their hate mail -- "I'm like, `Calm down all you white kids with Web sites,' " he told Blender magazine. But they haven't prevented Rock from evolving into a crossover personality who travels freely from one era, genre and scene to another, making disparate pals along the way (Hank Jr., James Hetfield and the Reverend, and even Keely Smith, 75, with whom he sang "That Old Black Magic" at the Grammys Sunday).

You wouldn't expect to see Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney on BET or MTV or Paul Wall or the Beastie Boys on CMT. But Kid Rock glides easily among all three scenes: He has played live with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Metallica and Phish. He recorded a country duet with Sheryl Crow ("Picture") that was nominated for a CMA award. His "Crossroads" special with Hank Jr. drew a record 2.1 million viewers to CMT. Later this year Rock will appear on new albums by rappers Lil' Jon and his buddy, the Reverend.

This knack for mixing-and-matching genres is a product of the two eras of blues that have so heavily influenced him -- two very different sounds that, somehow, bring it all back to the various flavors of rock music that his tour showcases.

"When I look back, hip-hop was my blues, too," he said. "You look at great artists like Petty or Springsteen or Bob Seger or Skynyrd, people I look up to musically: They all have that blues influence. It touched every form of music. I studied all that music, from Chuck Berry and the Delta stuff over to country music and Hank Williams and Fats Domino -- all that stuff.

"Today, hip-hop -- it's the same as the blues. It has touched almost every form of music. You can't turn anything on without hearing or seeing a hip-hop influence, whether it's music or a video. It's in the culture.

"So not only do I have the original blues background, but I'm a little one-up on the cats I grew up loving because I have a hip-hop background that allows me to tie everything together and be creatively free to make music that is still me."

On "Jesus," the music that ties everything together is rock `n' roll in its many colors, flavors and weights -- "a celebration of American music," he said -- including a little rap.

"I recommend it to anyone, even if you don't like me. If you go, you won't forget it."

And if you're going, don't be late.